Sharing and learning
PROMOTING SAFETY IN THE CRANE INDUSTRY.
JUNE 2015
What’s new this month?
EDITORIAL This issue we celebrate the one year anniversary of the new and revamped Lifting Matters! When we started the Lifting Matters journey back in 2009 we had a vision to see Lifting Matters read in every crane cab in Australia and New Zealand. We wanted Lifting Matters to become a shared forum for open discussion about past incidents, which are the best technical learning and behavioural tools available. Fast forward to 2015 and we are much closer to achieving that goal. Lifting Matters has subscribers all over the world and continues to grow each issue. It is with great pleasure we welcome Peter Goodman as an ongoing contributor to Lifting Matters, commencing this issue. Peter was endorsed as an Honorary Life Member of the Piling & Foundation Specialists Federation (known as the Piling Federation) in December 2014, after 30 years of experience in the piling industry as both a contractor and equipment supplier. The Australian Piling Federation has over 40 members representing leading piling contractors and suppliers. The Federation is aimed at improving standards of competency, commercial awareness, design, technical excellence, safety and workmanship throughout the piling industry, a sentiment which resonates with the goals of Lifting Matters. The piling industry is a brother to the crane industry, sharing similar safety concerns and also operating cranes to support piling operations. We look forward to the insight Peter will bring from this industry, and we are grateful to the Piling Federation for supporting his contributions.
This issue we explore outrigger failures and ground failures under outriggers and crawler tracks. We challenge beliefs amongst experienced crane drivers around how a crane tip event feels and occurs. We explore the Auckland Cranes Triangle Rd crane tip over in depth, along with other ground failure events, and discuss the valuable lessons to be learned from these incidents. Our new contributor Peter looks at Safe Working Platforms, and the Cancer Council yet again bring us a valuable reminder about our health and wellbeing. Please get in touch with Lifting Matters! You can visit us on Facebook, Linked In, or drop us an email any time at info@ liftingmatters.com. If you are interested in becoming a contributor to Lifting Matters, email me at dashelle.bailey@ liftingmatters.com. Remember, our sponsors are happy to pay for good articles. You can sign up to receive your quarterly edition of Lifting Matters straight to your inbox, at www.liftingskills. com.au/lifting-matters/newsletter. Remember, we provide free glossy printed copies of Lifting Matters for distribution in your crane cabs, crib rooms, mess hall, or reception area. Email info@liftingmatters.com with your postal address and the number of copies you require. Dashelle Bailey, Editor
THANKS TO THIS EDITION’S CONTRIBUTORS
IN THIS ISSUE Editorial Feature Story Strong Foundations Incident Report - August 2010, Waikato, New Zealand Incident Report - 2008, Brisbane, Australia Incident Report - 2012, Brisbane, Australia Mobile Crane Incident - 2015, NSW More Incident Reports from around the Globe Moving Matters - Are you active enough? Calling all Content PAGE 1 | LIFTING MATTERS | JUNE 2015
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FEATURE STORY
This issue of Lifting Matters focuses on outrigger failures or ground failures under outriggers. This is one of the biggest risk areas for the crane industry. The machines now generally all have reliable load measuring systems, overload alarms, and automated cut out systems which, if used correctly, will prevent machine damage or tip over. The greatest risk remaining is the ground ability to support the loaded crane under the outriggers or crawler tracks. Many modern machines can measure and indicate the actual outrigger loads, but they are not able to measure or monitor the ground’s ability to support these loads. This is even more important for the piling and ground improvement industry because the very reason they are on site is to improve the load carrying capacity of poor ground. There are several recent examples of serious and fatal accidents caused by ground or under structure support failure. These include the fatal wick drain rig fall over at the Port of Brisbane, the well-publicized Auckland 200T All Terrain Crane at Triangle Road incident, the 250T ‘outriggers through the slab’ incident in Sydney, the Universal Cranes BM900 panel tip over, and many others. These accidents demonstrate the importance and need for us to lift our game in this area as an industry. I believe the first step in this process is to educate all crane operators that they will not ‘feel the crane going’ and be able to save the day in a tipping situation. Once the outrigger support fails, or if the crane reaches the point of tipping from simple overload on sound outriggers, then the crane is on its way over and there is usually nothing the operator can do to save the situation. There is a common fallacy, particularly amongst more mature operators, that they ‘get a feeling by the seat of their pants’ - but this is simply wrong. I will shed some light on this industry wide old wives’
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tale. The early mobile cranes had pull out, screw down outriggers. The crane set up procedure was to boom back to minimum radius, slew around with the boom over each outrigger so it was unloaded, and to pack and screw the outriggers down onto the dunnage as tight as possible. This process was repeated at each outrigger until the crane was sitting level and blocked ready to work. Only those who have been in the industry for a long time will remember setting these machines up for a big lift! At the point that the crane was ready to work most of the self-weight of the crane was still carried by the wheels via the carrier suspension system and the wheels remained on the ground. Then when the crane was loaded and boomed out to its tipping radius, or when the ground failed and the crane started to tip, the rear outrigger would lift off the foot plate and go loose, the body of the crane would lift a little, and the operator would get a ‘rocking/tipping feeling’. As the crane lifted the weight would come off the springs in the suspension system and the crane self-weight would become additional counterweight, often preventing the tip over. If the loaded side outrigger support failed the result was similar. The tipping feeling gave the
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FEATURE STORY
operator the opportunity to take corrective action such as dropping the load or booming in quickly before tip over actually occurred. The diagrams on the following page demonstrate the concept. When hydraulic outriggers first arrived on lattice boom mobile cranes in the 1960’s, there was not the same level of safety systems and confidence in the hydraulics as we now have. Some machines had mechanical locks in the outrigger system to act as a safety in the event of a hydraulic failure, such as the cam arrangements in the P&H truck cranes on the scissor style outriggers. This mistrust of the hydraulic outriggers lead to continuation of the practice of leaving at least some of the crane selfweight supported by the wheels via the suspension when the machine was set up. This provided the additional safety mechanism of the extra counterweight kicking in at the point of the operator getting the ‘tipping feeling’ and having the opportunity to save the situation. Nowadays, practice has changed. We now trust the load indicator. The modern practice to have all the crane selfweight available as effective counterweight to balance the crane against tipping is to set the crane level with all 1. wheels jacked off the ground. This maximizes the load at the tipping point and therefore is theoretically the safest set up, but the system is automatically unstable. If the crane starts to tip and the load is not shed immediately,
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then the tip over process cannot be stopped. The same applies if the outrigger or the ground under the outrigger fails. At the point of tipping the first movement increases the radius, thus increasing the overturning effect, and the situation gets progressively worse as the crane goes over. Many crane operators, new and experienced alike, still believe they can go to the point of tipping or to the point of outrigger failure and ‘feel’ the situation, and be able to take corrective action. We need to educate our crane crews that this is not the case and even the best of them have almost nil chance of rescuing the situation once the tip over starts, whether it be from dumb simple overloading or from an outrigger failure. This highlights another problem we have in the modern crane industry with operator training and experience. 40 years ago when I started in the industry the safety culture and the availability of machines was completely different to today’s style. We never had access to bigger machines, and therefore often operated on or over the allowable limits taking what we now consider to be absolutely unacceptable risks. All crane operators of yesteryear had many near misses, and their near disaster experiences certainly gave them a better ability to deal with bad situations. While I certainly do not condone the circumstances that lead to an operation having a ‘near miss experience’, today’s operators miss out the lessons learned from being involved in such a situation. I
compare this to the airline industry, in which all pilots are required to regularly demonstrate their ability to recover from a bad situation in the air in order to hold a license. There is a real need for the crane industry to upgrade our training requirements to give operators the experience and understanding of what happens in an ugly situation and how to deal with it. Lifting Skills has commenced a two stage process to provide this training at the facility at Salisbury in Brisbane. Stage 1 is use of a 150T lattice boom truck crane, which is set up to demonstrate the difference between the ‘tipping feeling’ with load remaining on the wheels via the suspension, and the actual tipping over which occurs if they are jacked up high. The second stage of real life tip over training will be to create a simulated outrigger failure. This will be done by using a hydraulic ram in the ground under the outriggers to create an outrigger failure. Lifting Skills should have this second stage operational in early 2016. I encourage all crane companies to send their crane operators to do refresher courses at Lifting Skills, which expose operators to a simulated bad situation and equip them with experience to call upon should they face a bad situation in real life. This issue of Lifting Matters is focused on ground pressure and the distribution of load from the crane crawler tracks or outrigger pads into the ground below. We hope the case studies and articles will provoke discussions on this subject and we look forward to your feedback on incidents and relevant topics. Please use our Facebook and/or Linked In page to share accident stories and add comments so the discussions and the ideas are shared as far and wide in the industry as possible. Albert Smith Managing Director, Smithbridge Group Board Member, Crane Industry Council of Australia
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Strong Foundations
SAFE WORKING PLATFORMS For an industry that took a long time to get its own professional association in Australia, the piling community has certainly been making up for lost time. At first glance you would think that with many of their piling rigs busy around Australia, the industry would not have too many issues to worry about. That would do a serious injustice to the Piling and Foundation Specialists Federation (known generally as the Piling Federation), which has notched up several significant achievements since its formation. It was originally formed in 2002 with about 14 members representing the Piling & Foundation Engineering industry with members drawn from contractors, suppliers and specialist consultants to the industry. Now in 2015 it has over 40 members, with several international organisations involved to complement the local members. Members come from all states of Australia. It is of course very closely related to the crane industry, and shares many of the same problems, especially related to operator training, maintenance of equipment and safe operating procedures on sites – indeed many of the members of the Piling Federation also own and operate cranes in support of their piling operations.
Safe Working Platform Certificate, and we are pleased to say that this certificate has now been adopted in several states and by several organisations. Indeed it is now part of the Worksafe Victoria “Guide to managing safety – Piling Works and foundation engineering sites” industry standard as from January 2014. This standard was developed by members of the Federation working in conjunction with Worksafe Victoria, Victorian Safety Alliance, Master Builders Association of Victoria, and the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. The Safe Working Platform Certificate requires that the platform should be designed, and construction supervised, and approved by, a suitably competent person eg a geotechnical engineer, to suit the proposed equipment loadings (supplied by the piling contractor), and that this should be recorded on the appropriate certificate for that platform. A copy of this certificate signed by the design engineer and the Principal Contractor should be given to the Piling Contractor prior to commencement on the platform.
With this in mind it is proposed to publish a series of articles regarding piling operations which are closely related to the crane industry – we hope that you find them of interest and we look forward to any contributions and comments that you can make regarding them. In this edition let us look at the need for Safe Working Platforms: Our friends in the UK Federation of Piling Specialists concluded in 2006 that: “one third of all accidents in the piling industry in the UK resulted from defects in the working platform that the crawler mounted piling rigs were being asked to work from”. A quick survey in Australia resulted in a similar conclusion. Ground supported working platforms are critical for heavy equipment stability, and modern piling rigs are becoming heavier with higher centres of gravity to cater for the need for ever deeper foundations. Every incident occurring and every “near miss” involving unsafe platforms is a potential fatality. It has always been the view of the Federation members that the prime responsibility for the design, construction, management and repair of a working platform should be taken by the organisation that has continuous control of ALL of the project activities – ie the Principal Contractor NOT by the Piling Contractor. The platform may continue to exist after the piling works are completed and may then be used by other contractors or subcontractors in following trades, many of them using cranes on the platform. Even during the piling work the platform may be, and often is, shared with other trades and other cranes. To overcome this problem the Federation produced a standard
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The designer should clearly state the platforms maximum plant loading capacity, and/or the specific equipment for which the platform has been designed to support. The plant operator should be provided with a copy of this certificate prior to starting on the platform, and should review it and keep the approval so that it is readily available at all times. If it is proposed to change the equipment for any reason, an assessment should be done to verify that the platform is still suitable for the replacement rig. It should be remembered that due to weight to track area ratios, smaller rigs often have higher bearing pressures than larger rigs. It is also important to identify whether any other activities, especially trenching, have been undertaken on the platform, which may result in the integrity of the platform being disturbed. In such instances it is important to reinstate the platform to its original capacity prior to recommencing piling work – there have been several instances of rigs toppling over due to tracks sinking in soft spots caused by trenching.
The Federation went to the extent of producing the colour poster shown below for circulation to site offices to draw the attention of all site personnel to the dangers inherent in not complying with these new safety requirements. We hope that we can all benefit by the extra diligence to be shown when working with modern piling rigs and cranes – remember lives are at risk! Peter Goodman Honorary Life Member, Piling & Foundation Specialist Federation
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August 2010, Waikato, New Zealand
INCIDENT REPORT Auckland Cranes was engaged to lift eight 22T concrete bridge beams into place at the Huruhuru River Bridge site in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand in August 2010. A 200T Demag AC200 mobile crane was carrying out one of these lifts when the ground cracked and almost immediately collapsed between the crane’s outriggers. This caused the crane to tilt backward and ultimately overturn, landing on its side at 90 degrees to its original position. Quick thinking by the operator and dogman significantly reduced the damage and potentially fatal injury that may have occurred as a result of this incident. Due to a 33kV, 11kV, and domestic power supply line above the existing bridge, it was not possible to position the crane on the existing bridge or roadway, because of power line obstruction. A complete lift plan was prepared, thoroughly reviewed, and agreed upon, in which the crane was set on temporary compacted base course work platforms on the river embankment beside the new bridge abutment. The beams were picked up over the front of the crane off a truck, slewed 180 degrees over the river and the rear side of the crane, to be placed into final position. The lift plan established that the 200T crane, as well as another 300T selected to carry out lifts on the opposite side of the river, were both within the Safe Working Load and Rating Chart to carry out the lifts. A hazard assessment, involving Auckland Cranes and the head contractor, was carried out the day prior to the lift. As a result, it was identified that additional width was to be added to the temporary platform to allow sufficient room to set the 200T crane legs back from the batter slopes. The maximum outrigger pad load in the lift plan was calculated to be 25T per sqm, per outrigger pad. It was known that the maximum outrigger load would not exceed 65T. An additional 50% safety margin was built in the day prior, and it was decided three steel pads would be used on the ground, along with a fourth pad across the three providing a total surface area of 8.0m2. With a maximum outrigger load of 65T, the load under the swamp pads would have only got to 8.1 tonne per m2. Large concrete pads were used instead of steel pads on the right rear outrigger, giving a greater surface area and further decreased ground pressure. The head contractor spent the day prior prepping the site, laying down matting and placing a 1.8m thick base course to sit the crane on.
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Figure 1: Setup of Blocks on Outriggers (left side, next to the Operator) On the day of the lift, the lifting team along with the head contractor attended the site safety toolbox meeting, at which time the particular hazards of the lift were discussed, including the stability of the ground, traffic control, powerlines, communication, and transport onto site of the beams during the lift. It had been decided that the operator would keep the load as low as possible during slewing, to mitigate the hazards presented by the roadway, powerlines, and staff working on the supports to fix the beams into position. The operator was to lift the beam only when it was close to enough to be placed into position. The crane was set up and the three steel and two concrete pads were placed under the outriggers, with an additional pad placed at 90 degrees on top of the first ones. 69T of counterweight was loaded. The ground bearing capacity of each outrigger pad was established in line with normal practice, and the counterweight was slewed 360 degrees to place maximum load on the Jacks and settle the pads into position. This process was undertaken twice, as the initial time only resulted in a 10mm settlement.
Figure 2: A crack appears between the outriggers The lift commenced, and as had been decided the load was slewed as low as practicable. After the crane had slewed to the right and had been luffed out over the river, when it was at approximately 90% of the Safe Working Capacity and nearing the maximum required radius, the operator felt a jolt and a cracking sound could be heard. The operator reacted immediately by moving the load back towards the crane, lowering it, and slewing it away from the
bridge. An observer advised the dogman of the crack that had appeared between the outriggers, and the dogman immediately communicated this with the operator, advising him to lower the load and move it away as quickly as possible.
2008, Brisbane, Australia
INCIDENT REPORT Two cranes, including one Hitatchi Sumitomo SCX 2500, were carrying out a dual lift to place a boat into the water in Brisbane, Australia.
Figure 3: The crane tips, with the boom landing in the river and the load dropping on the right outrigger Soon after, the ground collapsed and the crane tipped backwards, rotating up, rolling over, and landing with the boom across the river and the load where the right outrigger had been. The site crew instantly went to the aid of the Operator, removing him from the cab of the crane. An ambulance was called and the operator was treated for minor injuries. The head contractor’s emergency response plan was put into play, and work on the site was suspended until further notice. This incident was the result of critical ground failure. A slip circle failure of the material underneath the fill occurred. While the team did undertake extensive planning and hazard assessment prior to the lift, a geotechnical engineer should have been engaged to design the fill. More extensive testing of the ground should have taken place, and involvement of a geotechnical engineer in the design of the platform may have prevented this incident from occurring. The actions of this Operator, who had more than 35 years of experience, are to be commended. His quick thinking significantly reduced the injuries and damage that occurred as a result of this incident. We are reminded of the importance of carrying out documented Lifting Plans for all lifts. Not only do they ensure the lift is carried out in a responsible and safe manner, but that if something does go wrong we can demonstrate that the appropriate steps were taken prior to the lift occurring. If you are carrying out a lift on potentially unstable ground, ensure you engage a geotechnical engineer to support your Lift Plan. The incident also demonstrates how extensive experience in crane driving can produce valuable lessons learned, which when put into practice can save lives. It wholly supports the notion of putting younger, less experienced crane drivers through tip over simulations, to equip them with an experience to carry into real life lifting situations.
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The ground beneath the SCX 2500 failed, causing the tracks to sink almost half a meter into the ground. While the surface of the ground was firm, the ground underneath was soft. Fortunately, the crane did not fully tip, and no one was injured in the incident. The lifting team failed to carry out an adequate investigation of the lifting situation prior to commencing the lift. A Geotechnical Engineer should have been engaged to carry out surveys on the strength of the ground, digging to see the depth of the pad and the strength of the material underneath. Mats should have been placed underneath the crane. Always check your ground conditions!
2012, Brisbane, Australia
INCIDENT REPORT A man died at the Port of Brisbane in 2012 following a wick drain rig tip over caused by unstable ground. The victim was driving a telehandler, placing concrete pads on reclaimed sand in preparation for the machine to move. The crawler rig became unstable and tipped, and as the victim attempted to dive away to avoid the falling machine, he was struck by the jib and was killed. It is believed the incident was caused by instability of the reclaimed sand beneath the machine. This incident had an incredibly sad outcome, and is unfortunately an example of where a failure to properly consider the ground conditions has resulted in a fatality.
2015, NSW
MOBILE CRANE INCIDENT, NSW
A mobile crane in NSW goes through a bridge in 2015
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Around the Globe
MORE INCIDENT REPORTS
A crawler crane in China experiences ground failure, and is left with its track suspended in the air.
The outrigger of a mobile crane in Brisbane in 2010 collapses through a man hole. PAGE 10 | LIFTING MATTERS | JUNE 2015
An M16000 walking between sites with the maxer on the rear topples after ground failure.
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The ground bearing pressure under the outrigger of this mobile crane becomes too much for the concrete flooring to handle, causing the crane to fall through the collapsed flooring.
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Health and Wellbeing
MOVING MATTERS – ARE YOU ACTIVE ENOUGH?
Are you getting enough? Physical activity, that is… New research shows only 56 per cent of Queensland adults get enough daily exercise. Even more alarming is the fact that only 38 per cent of us are aware of all three minimum recommended guidelines for physical activity. In 2014 the Australian Government updated the Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines to consider the relationship between physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and the correlating increased risk of chronic disease and obesity. In short, research shows that even if you exercise outside of work, a sedentary lifestyle can still take a negative toll on your health. It’s important to follow the recommended guidelines for physical activity – but also to sit less and move more throughout your day, improving your overall health. So what do the new physical activity guidelines say? It’s recommended that Queenslanders are active every day. We should all aim for between 150 to 300 minutes of moderateintensity activity every week (e.g. walking, playing golf or gardening), or between 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise (running, cycling or gym classes), plus muscle-strengthening activities and resistance work at least twice a week. It might sound like a lot – but the good news is that everyone can find the time to be active. 30 minutes of daily exercise can easily be achieved through three shorter sessions of 10 minutes during the day, or two sessions of 15 minutes. Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of overweight, obesity and chronic disease – and by staying sedentary, you
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could be risking your health and happiness, while increasing your risk of overweight and obesity, including some cancers. Every time you move, it’s a benefit to your health. Some activity is better than none, and more is better than a little. Try and find opportunities for movement that can be easily incorporated into your day – get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way, take the stairs instead of the lift, walk a little further to get lunch or hold a walking meeting. It’s important to build your exercise up gradually – especially if you have been inactive for some time. Set dates and times in your weekly schedule to get moving, like any other work or social appointment. And mix up your activity to keep things interesting – try jogging, cycling, brisk walking, or cardio machines. Remember, getting active and boosting your fitness is about staying healthy and happy – invite your friends to work out with you to make it more fun, or simply enjoy some time to yourself while you invest in your wellbeing. Remember, up to one third of all cancers can be prevented through simple lifestyle changes including being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight. It’s time to get moving today! To get your workplace moving more, join Cancer Council’s QUEST at quest.org.au. For more information about reducing your cancer risk, call Cancer Council on 13 11 20 or go to www.cancerqld.org.au.
Health and Wellbeing
CALLING ALL CONTENT
Writing Opportunity
CALLING ALL CONTENT Are you an aspiring author? Are you passionate about the safety of your work mates? Have an idea for a safer or more efficient way of working? Are you an aspiring author? Are you passionate about the safety of your work mates? Have an idea for a safer or more efficient way of working? We want to hear from you. Contribute to Lifting Matters’ vision of a safer industry by submitting your ideas and articles to Dashelle. Bailey@liftingmatters.com. We are looking for incident reports, your ideas about safer and more efficient ways of working, any prevalent issues, reoccur- ring incidents, significant incidents, good reminders, ANYTHING SAFETY RELATED. You can submit a full article, anywhere from 200 to 1000 words. Or, you can send us ideas about what you’d like to hear us discuss in the next issue of Lifting Matters. We can’t wait to hear from you!
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